LANCASTER, Pa. — Franklin & Marshall defeated Washington in the regular-season finale for both schools here Saturday, 1-0, to pin down the No. 3 seed and a first-round home match in the Centennial Conference women’s soccer tournament.
The Shore ladies, meanwhile, end their season at 7-4-7 overall — their fewest losses ever — and 3-4-3 in the conference.
Tom Reilly just completed his eighth year as Washington’s head coach.
On Saturday, Nov. 2, the two sides played to a scoreless tie through the opening 45 minutes, with Washington holding a slim 6-4 advantage in shots.
Washington had the best scoring chance of the first half. With less than two minutes remaining before intermission, the Shore ladies created a turnover just outside the box and Sadie Kosoff fired a shot toward the net that was saved by a diving Lucy Fleming (seven saves).
Colleen Ferrarese ended the shutout in the 60th minute with a strike that bounced off the left post and into the net — her second game-winner of the season.
The Diplomats (9-4-6, 6-1-3 CC) looked to add to their lead in the 81st minute when Dahlia Pepe was awarded a penalty kick following a foul in the box. But taking a page from Fleming’s book, Shore sophomore Olivia Allen (four saves) made a diving stop.
Two minutes later, Kate Boujoukos launched a shot destined for the top shelf but the ball was batted off the crossbar and away from danger.
F&M outshot its guest in the second half, 7-4, to finish with 11 shots — including six on frame.
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All six playoff teams already had clinched spots heading into Saturday’s regular-season finales, with only seedings yet to be determined.
Two-time defending conference champion Johns Hopkins was idle from CC play on Saturday and already had clinched the No. 1 seed, while McDaniel secured the No. 2 seed with a 2-0 victory at Muhlenberg.
The Blue Jays (13-2-3, 9-1 CC) and Green Terror (11-3-3, 7-1-2 CC) earned first-round byes and will host Friday’s semifinals.
In Tuesday’s opening round, F&M eliminated No. 6 seed Haverford, 1-0 in extra time, and No. 4 seed Dickinson (11-4-3, 6-3-1 CC) got past No. 5 seed Swarthmore, 2-1, also in double overtime.
Now, F&M will travel to McDaniel and Dickinson is headed to Hopkins, which is playing in its 23rd consecutive Centennial Conference tournament.
On Sunday, Nov. 10, the winner of Friday’s semifinals will meet for the championship — and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament — at the highest remaining seed.